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Opening A Database In Collect!

Collect! ships with 3 different databases that are accessible
when you have installed your system. This topic explains
the differences and general purpose for each.

Introduction

Collect! installs with 3 functional databases. They are
named the masterdb, demodb and prosdb.

The masterdb is your Master database. It is
intended to be your primary, working database. It is empty
and ready for you to set your configurations/ preferences, then
add your clients and debtor records. It contains a minimum number
of settings, requiring this input from you to determine how the
system environment should operate.

The demodb is your 'demonstration' database.
It is intended to be your test environment where you can
experiment with the software to test out scenarios and processes
as you learn the system as well as an area where you can
practice imports and expand your expertise with process
automations such as complex contact plans before you take them live
into your masterdb environment.

Should you require an extra functional database for live data
at any point, you do have the option of designating the demodb
for this purpose after deleting out the sample data it shipped
with plus any additional test data acquired if your company used
it as a testbed previously. As a completely separate entity from
the masterdb, all system settings and preferences would need to be
reviewed for setting parity with your masterdb before converting
over a demodb to be a secondary masterdb.

The prosdb is your Client Prospect database. It
is a customized version of the masterdb with many of the fields
and screens renamed via utilization of Alias Names to create
an environment where your inhouse sales team can have to work their
prospective clients with the same tools and features that the
collectors enjoy as dedicated functionality in the masterdb. This
allows your sales team's work to be kept completely separate from
the collection environment.

In this database, the 'debtor' areas of the system are refitted
with Alias Named fields to be meaningful and useful for the
sales and marketing staff. The 'client' areas of the system are
possible to designate into whatever categories your company
would choose to use to segment your team's prospects. Example:
Regional divisions; Department designations; or Prospect Type such
as Retail, Bank, Commercial, Medical etc. The salespeople can set
up Contacts on their prospects and work a WIP list in the same
manner as collectors do in the masterdb environment.

For a more centralized approach, there is a related add-on
module which comes standard with our Corporate License size
but is also possible to purchase for use with our Entrepreneur
and Professional license sizes. This would be the Client
Management Module. This module enables a Client Contact
Tab on your client windows, giving your Administration/Client
Relations/Sales/Marketing staff the ability to set scheduled
contact events on Clients, creating WIP lists of client
contacts and scheduled letters/ reports to be sent that may
be set to Repeat on a designated schedule. This efficiency
and centralized access on the same database is useful to your
staff as it reduces the error margin of scheduled contacts
being missed because a user was migrating back/forth between
multiple databases.

Opening A Database

When you are on the Welcome to Collect! screen, you will see
that you have a choice of which database to open. Click the
" Select Database" button to enter the list of databases
available to choose from. If you experiment by selecting each
available option, you will see the "Database to open" field
become populated with the name of the database you have entered.

When you enter a database that the system registers is different
than the one you logged into last time, you will receive a popup
message asking if you want this new choice to be your default
database to open. This is not a permanent decision, even if
you say Yes. You can change it back the next time you login.

Security And Access Rights

Collect! uses a multi-level security system with password
protection to control access to your system. The standards
at time of new system shipping are not set. To review your
options, follow the menu path of \System\Preferences\Security
and Aliases\ Password Settings. In the Password Settings
screen, you may define minimum password character length,
frequency of forced renewal, ability to disable after X number
of failed attempts to enter, and whether a password requires
a minimum of 1 numeric character.

When you first install Collect!, it comes with a full series
of shipping default logins, each one being representative of
the different user Level permissions. The ID recommended for
executives to begin a review of the system's use and features,
use the ID "own" and Password "own". This is a Level 10 user
which has all high level access. To review other preset
IDs and permission types, follow the menu paths of
\System\ Rights\ Operators and \System\Rights\User Levels.

The convention used for all preset shipping default logins
is the password is the same as the ID, case sensitive and
set with lower case. Example: ID "JC" for junior collector
is Password "jc".